KIVA: More Punk Than You

By Ezlyh Gutierrez
MR Fest Press Team

Dance, drinks and punk. What more can you ask for? Kiva Bar and Grill started their MR Fest concert off strong with A Tribute to the Sun.

Not only were they poppin’, but they were let-your-hair-down-and-rock-till-you-drop poppin’. Imagine your favorite garage rock band collaborated with lead singer Juan “Witch Doctor” Magña’s hypnotizing vocals. Yes, perfection (and spunk) is exactly what you get. All of this, along with some incredible shredding from, again, Juan “Witch Doctor” Magña. Let’s not forget the beautiful MC, Karlee Tobola, running the show with her smooth introductions and contagious energy. Check out A Tribute to The Sun’s new single, “Southern Girl,” to get a full experience of what I’m talking about.

Next up on our list of highlights was the one and only Sidechick, bringing us the highest turnout of the night. They were melodic, fun and edgy. Stephen McElwee killed it on a duo of lead guitar and vocals, Austin Yeates kept it moving with some bass and Kelvin Givens topped it all off with his rockin’ beats. Sidechick tempts you into making them your main chick.

A little later, three-piece rock band Polar Breaks kept the crowd’s energy going. Taiga followed up with incredible lyrics.

One of my absolute favorite turnouts of tonight was Odd Folks. The nostalgic feeling of pop punk, modernized. Odd Folks killed it with what was, in my opinion, the best performance of the night. Not only was the crowd feelin’ the groove, but the band took the time to show their gratefulness for the festival. Genuine and fun, these guys are also the only guys I screamed, “SO GOOD!” for.

In conclusion, Kiva tonight was not only energetic and fun, it was movin’ n’ groovin’ and rock n’ rollin’! Special thanks to Janelle Abad, our venue head, that made all of this work smoothly. 2016 at Kiva was awesome so be sure to check out MR Fest next year.